Forensic scientist Dr. Henry C. Lee has been a well-known figure in Connecticut courtrooms for decades. His expertise led to high-profile work investigating famous crimes from the O.J. Simpson trial to investigating the murder of child beauty queen, JonBenét Ramsey.

But in addition to his testimony on famous cases, Dr. Lee has been a staple of forensic science in Connecticut for the past 40 years--from serving as the state’s chief criminalist to helping found the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory.

This hour we sit down with Dr. Lee to hear about his life and how his investigative career began right here in Connecticut.

Dr. Henry Lee - Forensic scientist and professor at the University of New Haven (@HenryCLee)

READING LIST:

Hartford Courant –Unraveling Crimes, Henry Lee Transformed Art Of Forensic Science (April 2014) – “Virtually a one-man operation with a microscope and some camera equipment to analyze black and white photographs, Lee set about to keep a promise he made to Gov. Ella Grasso the day she officially made him a state employee in 1979 — to build the best forensic laboratory in the country.”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:Famed criminalist Henry Lee recounts O.J. Simpson trial (June 2017) – “‘There were so many issues with the major crime scene in that case,’ said Mr. Lee, who holds a doctorate and who testified for five days as a defense expert for Simpson. ‘This case set the landmarks for crime scene and laboratory handling of evidence.’”

Related Content

Just a week after the 2001 al-Qaida attacks terrorized the U.S., anonymous letters with anthrax spores began arriving at congressional offices and media companies, killing five people, infecting 17 and unleashing their own wave of fear.

When Kathy Lampi's mom died of cancer last June, she placed the velvet bag filled with her mom's ashes on a shelf in her china cabinet. Lampi thought that was a fitting place for her mom to rest until she could plan a proper burial.

Then in October the Northern California fires reduced Lampi's two-story house in Santa Rosa to six inches of rubble. Her mom's ashes were now mixed in with the ashes of her sofa and front door.

A forensic biologist at the University of New Haven is developing a DNA databank that will help federal authorities track where marijuana originates. It’s aimed at assisting law enforcement with drug busts, but it could also be used to protect against bio-terrorism.